Sweet Friendship, Bitter Love
by Datenshi Yamashita
Summary: FSI 3 years before L died, before Near became the new number 1 detective in the world, before Mello died trying to get the Death Note, a 15yearold girl, dubbed 'Site', arrived at Wammy's Orphanage for Gifted Children. On her arrival, Mello had taken...
1. Chapter 1

Sweet Friendship, Bitter Love

Summary: 3 years before L died, before Near became the new number 1 detective in the world, before Mello died trying to get the Death note, a 15-year old girl, dubbed "Site", arrived at Wammy's orphanage for Gifted Children. On her arrival, Mello had taken an interest to her. After some time, they become friends. After even more time, each of their feeling develop into something that feels like more than friendship.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with death note. Need I disclaim more?

M x S x M x S M x S x M x S x M x S x M x S x M x S x M x S

"Mom, Dad!" she screamed as she was dragged away from the burning house. Her parents were still in there. The fireman who was tightly clamping his hands around her arm slightly struggled more, and another fireman ran to his aid. She was being dragged away by both arms now, and the pressure the two men were putting on them seemed like it was cutting off her circulation, but she paid no attention to that. Her parents were possibly dying in the average-sized, two-story, now crumbling house. "Go! Save yourself!" her mother had shouted to her. "We'll be fine! Go! Now!". She wasn't going to let them fend for themselves- her father was working his way out of being stuck under a chunk of wall, and her mother was rushing to his aid, trying to scan the place for any sign of moisture at the same time. Her face pleaded for her daughter to just listen and get out. But no, her daughter rushed towards her and her husband, trying to fight off the flames and burning chunks and pieces of wood of the house that was now blackening from ash and residue of the fire's demolition. She was half-way there until a burning 7-foot long pole of wood fell in her way. She tried to think quickly. She heard a loud groan of pain, surely her father's, but no, she couldn't get there in the next minute because that bastard fireman caught her and dragged her out. They headed towards the front door and heard a yell and a loud scream, her father's and mother's. she fought against him even harder now, trying to get away and help her parents. She may not have had the best relationship in the world with them, no, but she loved them.

…All she was doing before was walking home from school. She came onto her street, and an immense amount of light was coming from her house, as well as sickeningly thick, grey smoke. She went in and found her parents trying to escape. Now she was being dragged around and forced back by these fuck-headed firemen. "Let me the fuck GO!" she screamed at them. They weren't listening. They were trying to help her… by doing what? Ripping her away from her parents and filling her with so much rage she felt like beating the living shit out of everyone and everything. "Sit her down!" another fireman shouted in the distance. They forced her down onto the edge of the floor the back of a firetruck. She got up for another second, but was forced right back down again. "Jesus, this one's a fighter!" the second one exclaimed. "Damn it!" the other one shouted as she got up again, and was forced back down again.

… The house was finally put out after a couple of hours, and was barely more than an empty shell of what was yet to become ashes. She was locked up in the back of an ambulance. Not in a bed, not in a stretcher, just locked back there. She had red fists from banging on the doors for so long, and her face and eyes were stained from tears of rage that were still gently coming. There was one more ambulance there, and two firetrucks. "…Mom…Dad…" she said quietly to herself, trying not to think of the worst case scenario.

She was in a legal office of some kind now. It was one week later and she didn't care about anything. Her parents were dead… her home was gone…

A man walked in and sat down. She didn't bother moving her head to look at him. He sighed. "There's no easy way to tell you this," he began. "…You'll have to be put in an orphanage. You have no relatives who are able to take care of you, you aren't of age to get your own place or any inheritance…" she couldn't tell if he had continued talking or not after that. She zoned out, to put it simply. The news of the orphanage had been a silent shock to her, even though she was expecting it… she had thought this all out already. How, she didn't know. "…And I spoke with your headmaster-" Principal. He went to a public school. "- and educational supervisors, which means people like-" "I know what it damn well means." She said emotionlessly, only loud enough for them both to hear. "they said you were quite intelligent. You often get more advanced work in classes. We've seen your grades, they're good. Extremely good." What did this have to do with anything? "WE've also seen that moving you up a grade was considered more than once." She didn't care about this anymore. "…So, we think we have a special orphanage for you." Hm. "Wammy's Orphanage for Gifted Children." She wasn't gifted. Now she felt cursed. The door behind her opened, and she heard fairly heavy footsteps behind her. "This is… Watari, he's the founder and manager of the orphanage." "Hello. My deepest condolences on your losses." He said solemnly.

She was taken to the orphanage and registered there. It was in England which was fairly far away from America. She was born in England, but grew up and spent her life in America. That was the only reason she could think of for them wanting her to travel half-way across the world. When she got there, she learned that everyone had different names… not their real ones. She didn't want a new identity. Not now. But whether she liked it or not, she was given a new name. She was dubbed "Site".

She didn't talk to anyone. She didn't go near anyone. She didn't look at anyone. Not for a week.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the Death Note stuff. I only own Site. Kk? Ok.

She was sitting in a corner. That's all she was doing, just sitting on a small bench in the corner of a room only a little larger then an average dining hall. She still wasn't talking to anybody, she was hardly even talking to the people who were in a position of authority here. It had been a week since she had arrived at the orphanage. She had caught people looking at her from a distance. They looked at her, knowing she was new, as if they had seen this from new kids all the time. If she hadn't been so depressed, she would have flipped some frequent observers off. She did look worse than she normally did, though… her dirty blonde hair, just past her shoulders and usually undistinguishable as to whether it was blonde or brown was now flat and dull. She didn't bother to take good care of herself anymore. She had been paler ever since the fire. She didn't have that same spark she used to. She hadn't lost much weight, but she felt so much thinner. She had dark circles around her eyes now from a newfound insomnia. She guessed she couldn't blame people for looking at her the way they did, but she didn't care anymore.

Back to the present, she was sitting on a bench in the corner, head and eyes down… when she heard a voice from somewhere beside her. "You're still sulking around?" she looked to her right without moving her head, but she couldn't see anything unless she lifted her head up. She gave it up and looked back down. "Jesus, you've been here a week.". it was a guy's voice. He didn't sound too sympathetic. She tried to telepathically tell him to leave her the hell alone. It clearly didn't work. "who the hell died, your parents?" he asked. He didn't sound sympathetic now, just not quite as sarcastic-sounding. "…fine, don't answer me." He said. He wouldn't leave, though. She wanted him to leave. "How?" she hesitated. "Fire, now go away." She said quietly. "Alright fine, I just thought I might ask." He said as he turned and began walking. Good. He was gone. She saw his back while he was walking away. She didn't have to lift her head. He was wearing dark clothes, was fairly thin, and had shoulder-length blonde hair. He _was_ a boy, right? What kind of guy had shoulder-length blonde hair? It even looked conditioned from here. She had now realized that he was half-way through a chocolate bar. He met up with some brunette kid with a vest. She looked back down. He was a cocky little dickhead. She wasn't in a good enough mood to think any more of it.

Another week later, Site was talking a little more, but still being anti-social. Once again, she was sitting in a random dark corner. This time on the floor. She still had no friends… of course she didn't, she was being a loner. Sitting in a dark corner, head and eyes down, knees half-way up, and arms crossed around her waist. And someone was walking over. Not an adult, he or she wasn't heavy enough. "it's been two weeks." Oh, great. Not him. "so?" she asked defensively, only a little louder than the time before. "Come on." She lifted her head only a little. He looked impatient. He had an oval-shaped face and eyes that looked at her almost piercingly. She raised her head only a little more, and it was indeed the girly-boy that was talking to her last week. "Come _on_." He repeated. "Why?" she asked. "Because I damn well said so. Now get up and move." Geez, pushy much? "I don't want to." She replied dully. "Jesus…" he said under his breath. "Move it." He thrust his hand impatiently at her. "Screw you." It was the simplest thing she could say. "NOW." He pushed his hand closer to her. She sighed. Finally getting impatient enough herself, Site forcefully jerked herself up and violently pushed his hand away. Bastard.

He dragged her over to that brunette kid with a vest. He was playing a video game (needless to say). "Hey." He said, distractedly, not even looking up from his game. "who's she?" he asked blondie. He looked to her. "S…" she remembered her _new_ name. "Site." "Mm." the gamer said aloofly. "Matt. Mello." The apparent 'Mello' said, pointing to 'Matt' then himself. Site just grumbled. "Dammit!" she heard Matt exclaim as a polyphonic game over tone issued merrily from the gaming device. "What level?" what level?" Mello asked casually. "fourteen." He said, cooled down. Site looked away. "Hey, you." Matt said. Site looked back. "Why'd Mello drag you over?" well, weren't they polite? She looked over at Mello. "Good question." She said as she half-glared at him. Mello just shrugged. "she seems interesting. And she's been shy for a couple of weeks. I thought I should make her interact with people." And now she was full-on glaring at him. "Shy isn't the same thing as anti-social." She said coldly. "Ooh, ice queen." Matt said, restarting his game. Site looked around. She pulled up a chair that was a few feet away from her and sat down in it backwards, facing away from M and M here. "Oh, don't tell me you're avoiding us already." She heard Mello say from behind her. She let out a slightly pissed-off breath. "Okay, do the math. I'm new here for a reason, my parents just fucking died, do you somehow think I _want_ to talk to people right now?" Mello was quiet for a second before talking. Matt was only half-there, on the account of his game. "You're going to have to eventually." Site gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tightly, keeping back any sign of tears and trying to refrain from knocking this 'Mello' out. He must have seen her clenching the chair extremely hard, because he just shrugged coolly and turned away. She sat there, trying to tune them out, thinking about all the things she wished she could forget.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I doan owan Death Note… gat it?

The day after Site's forced meeting with Mello and Matt. She knew them better, but she still wasn't too fond of them. Which was why she wasn't so happy today. She was ever-so-innocently sitting in a corner in one of the courtyards, backyards, whatever you wanted to call them, at the orphanage. She was sitting cross-legged, back against a wall, arms laid over her legs, head and eyes down (still), all alone. Until now. "Hey, you! Site!" oh, for God's sake, come on. "Hey, Site! Get over here." Site sighed. Douchebag. "Bite me!" she shouted back. "No thanks, I'll pass. Come on." Smartass. Thinks he's the best damn thing that's ever graced the earth's surface. "Just leave me alone." "No, I'll pass on that, too." Stupid sob. She let out a slightly pissed off breath and got up. They were about 45 feet away from her. Her fists balled up and clenched, ready t punch anything that got in her way. She walked angrily over to him and Matt… who was, once again, playing a video game. "What the hell do you want?" she asked. He looked at her for a minute. He unwrapped a chocolate bar. "…Hm?" he offered as he tilted it in her direction. "No1" she said instantly. "Is that all you wanted?" "No. we're conversing." Mello said coolly. Site looked at him with a look on her face that generally stated 'yeah, so?!?'. "We wanted you to join us." He continued. "When will you just leave me alone?" she asked, annoyed. "No, Dammit! I pressed B…" Matt complained to his portable gaming system. Mello, who had turned to Matt, had turned back to Site. "You didn't have to walk over here." Mello said coolly. "You would have forced me to if I didn't." Site argued. "Maybe, but you could have tried hurting me to get me to stop." Mello replied. "One, I would have gotten into shit, and two, you would have hit me back." "Can't hit a girl unless she hits you three times first." Matt mentioned distantly. Mello scoffed. Site begged to differ. "that's bullshit, that's a sexist rule for weak girls so that they have something stupid to protect them and for guys who are complete pussies so that they have an excuse to not risk getting their asses kicked by a girl." Matt paused for a minute and Mello looked at her. "Men are born physically stronger. I don't think there are many girls who can kick a guy's ass." "There are girls that could kick your sorry ass in a second. Don't underestimate women or I can guarantee that you'll get the shit beaten out of you one day." Mello was just provoking her now. "I doubt it. I know you can't kick my ass. That was the topic anyways." Mello said, looking away. "You wanna bet?" he became interested now. "What?" he said, almost chuckling. "If I get angry enough, I could kick your ass and scar you for life." Mello took a small step towards her. "Maybe some guys, but I don't think you could beat the shit out of _me_." He was now _purposefully_ provoking her. "Give it up, I don't want to be a witness to a fight here." Matt boldly complained from the sidelines. Mello cast a glance at Matt and stepped back. He stared at Site challengingly and she stared right back. He reopened his chocolate bar and took a bite. Just then, a boy with wavy brown hair and somewhat of a tan walked by. "Mello's got a girlfriend, Mello's got a girlfriend…" he chanted. Mello glared at him (which was plenty enough to scare him away), and Site made a crude gesture with one of her fingers and told him to go fuck himself, quite angrily. The boy began walking quite a bit faster away from them. Matt was trying his damndest not to show any sign of finding that entertaining. As the boy power-walked on, he passed a short boy with whitish-coloured hair (which he as fiddling with), and was smirking, almost right at Mello. Mello glared at him before muttering "Let's go." Through clenched teeth. Matt followed blindly, and Site hesitated before following.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, so yeah.

All week, Site was constantly bothered to hang out with the M and M's. Mello was showing very little signs of backing down from persuasion. Now, she was sitting in an isolated little place behind a stairwell, where she was hoping she wouldn't be found. She had spent about three weeks at Wammy's now, but it was hard for her to keep track anymore. She still had no friends, and only spoke to protest, to insult, to answer questions, and to participate in the strainfully annoying conversations with Mello (and sometimes the techno-freak. What the hell was up with him and his video games?).

She was currently thinking about trying to avoid thinking about her parents… and her home… and anyone she knew back home… in America… she tried very hard to stop thinking about these things (especially her parents). But that only brought her to thinking about here, about this stupid orphanage. And that damn kid Matt. And that shithead Mello. Site heard footsteps coming down the stairs. More kids, with more friends, and more things to do and things to talk about and things to think about. Like the game they were heading off to the playroom to play with their friends, or what their lives were going to be like after they got adopted, or left the orphanage, or were living their dreams, or whatever the hell they had oh-so-perfectly planned out for themselves so soon, without even _considering_ the problems they might run into. Not things like their old families, their old homes, or how they had come to be orphans. Unlike her. She was beginning to feel tingling sting of oncoming tears. She buried her face under her arms and held back every tear she felt she couldn't cry.

A minute later, Mello and Matt came walking down the stairwell. They stepped off of the bottom stair and onto the floor, where the lower level began. Matt stopped Mello and pointed to the space around the stairwell. Mello looked around it and saw Site, head in her arms, sitting up against the back of the stairs. Mello hit Matt against the shoulder. Matt paused and looked up from his game. It was only now that he saw how Site was actually sitting. Site heard Mello hit Matt on the shoulder and looked up, her eyes slightly widened, tears forced back and dried. Mello acted as if he saw nothing. "You. Up. Now." he said carelessly. "When are you going to leave me the fuck alone?" she asked angrily. "Well, clearly not any time soon." Mello said ignorantly. "You're not going through three more years without people you can somewhat consider friends here." Site was going through yet another silent shock. "Oh, and you're going to be my friends?" she asked, angrily getting up. "You got her up, let's go." Matt said distantly. ""You won't even leave me alone or have time for myself, and you think you're suddenly going to become my best friend?" she asked, only getting more pissed off. "I didn't say that, exactly, I said 'you can't go through here without people you can consider friends.'" He argued coolly. "And you think I'm not capable of making my own friends?!?" Site was still pissed, and only getting more fired up. "I didn't say that, either." He continued. "But you were damn well implying it!" she yelled. She took a step towards Mello. "and now you get it, good for you, yes I was." He said smartly. Site was ready to punch him square in the face, right then and there. "You're a goddamn asshole!" Site was even rolling her fist up now. A small group of younger kids that were going to go down the stairwell was now reconsidering this and going back. "That may be, but-" "Will you two just fucking give it up?" Matt nearly shouted, cutting Mello off. Site really wanted to knock them both down. Mello paused before speaking again. "do you know why I won't leave you alone?" he asked. Site didn't have time to think of a comeback. "Because you and I are a lot alike." He said, hardly losing the cool tone of voice he usually had when in such a heated argument. "How the hell-" she was cut off. "We both seem to want the same thing sooner or later… justice and power, as villainous as it sounds." He shrugged. "Are you saying I'm an evil-" "Just because someone wants power doesn't mean they're evil, necessarily." Mello had lost touch with all signs of competitiveness or anger. She glared at him. He stared back. She thought… she did want power. Over everything. Over anything and everything that was fucking up her life and making it this empty shithole. "…So?" Mello asked after allowing her a few moments to contemplate this… how true what he said was, how she wanted it, how _much_ she wanted it, and what, exactly, she wanted it for. "..so what?" she asked, still pissed, but at least cooling down. "What the hell do you want from me?!?" he actually couldn't tell if she was still pissed or just faking it. Matt was still standing there, from the sidelines, holding his portable game. Nobody had bothered to see if he had actually paused it or kept on playing. For a few seconds, it was silent. "…Jesus, are you coming or not?" Mello asked, a randomly placed hint of natural sarcasm his voice. Site was less fired up now, but there was still a part of her that was violently threatening to knock these two bastards, especially blondie, out. She tried to keep that under control. "…Fine." She glared and sneered at him at the same time and angrily stormed over. "Just go." She said, gritting her teeth. Mello didn't need to be told twice. He began walking in the other direction, feeling fairly satisfied with himself. Matt instantly (and slightly nervously) followed along behind them. He felt somewhat out of place walking _behind_ Site, but he wordlessly followed anyways.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Death note.

After a while, Site slowly to having Blondie and Gamefreak finding her wherever she was, 24/7. She got used to having her only alone time at night when everyone was supposed to be asleep. In slightly more desperate times, she would sneak off into the girls' washroom… the only place the M and M's couldn't find her. Mello could probably get in, though, if he shoved something down his shirt so he didn't look so flat-chested. Ha. She had also eventually given up protesting and fighting when Mello forced her to get up. She had gone back to not caring about so many things, and this was becoming one of them. She was also (very slowly) thinking about her parents less and less. She wanted to forget… but she also wanted to remember at all costs. It was something she couldn't understand, and even if she tried to understand just some of it, and that would only lead her right back to the whole thing, and attempting to figure that out would drive anyone mad. And now, as she was thinking about going mad, the usual two boys came walking around the corner. "Up.". Site sighed as if it was like taking out the trash of 50 houses (she had never really minded taking out the trash… her mother had always refused to do it, so Site never really minded it… if it wasn't _too_ much), and got up. "I see you've stopped your useless protests." Mello metioned, taking a bite out of yet another chocolate bar. "Why won't you leave me alone for at least 24 hours? It's annoying." Site said in a tone that clearly got her point across. "Well, one, that's the point-" what an asswipe. "-And two, you don't seem to have many objections to it anymore." He finished with a clever little smirk. Site didn't get a chance to reply, he had turned on his heel and began walking in another direction. Matt followed, his eyes on his game. Site had also followed, as though she had no choice. "And what the hell is up with your chocolate obsession?" Mello kept walking as he replied. "I like chocolate. There's no crime against eating it. Unless _you_ have something about it you want to protest." Site hated Mello for being such a smartass. They ended up taking her to a pretty much empty hallway, where they hung out for no apparent reason. Now whenever Mello and Matt would have something of a conversation, Site would join in (sometimes.), whereas before she would ignore it. She actually kind of began to enjoy their conversations (though most of them were quite competitive). The non-competitive conversing, how certain people were complete idiots, how craooy this place was, and how they wished life could or would turn out.

About a day or two later, they were looking for her. She had snuck off into the girls' washroom. They thought they had looked virtually everywhere. "Okay, where the hell is she?" Matt asked angrily. They had been looking for a long tome. "Don't ask me, I don't damn well know!" Mello said, also pissed off. They had passed the girls' room a few minutes before, so Site had heard them arguing (Matt could _talk_?!?) and had been pleased with how pissed they were… but imagine how pissed off they would be if they sat down to take a break and she came walking out of nowhere. She liked that idea. So since ten, she had stealthily been following them and they still hadn't noticed. "Okay, we'll go somewhere, take a break, and look some more." Mello stated. "Come on, she's fun and all, but I don't want to spend the day looking for her. It's boring, it's frustrating, and it's tiring." Matt complained. "Is it any better than your video games?" Mello snapped. "No, at least with virtual reality, I'm not bored and I'm not doing something pointless!" Matt exclaimed. After a few more minutes, they fell onto some stairs and took a break. Site waited a minute before making her move. She walked out from behind a wall, and she was behind them, which gave her an advantage. "You, Mello, Matt, up, now." She said cockily as she continued walking down the hall. "Where the _fuck_ were you?!?" they asked simultaneously. Site shrugged. "Around." "What the hell do you mean 'around'?" Mello asked. Site let out a chuckle. "Well, actually, I've been following you for quite a while now." She said almost casually. "Son of a bitch!" Matt exclaimed. "That's 'daughter of a bitch' or 'bitch'. I'm a girl." Site explained coolly. It was her turn to be annoying. "do you really get that angry when you can't find me, or do you just hate not getting what you want?". Neither of them replied. "I'll take that as a 'yes' from both of you." She was about to continue walking when she saw Mello in a pensieve pose, obviously carefully considering something. "Earth to Mello, get up." She said in a false offering tone. He smirked. "What the hell are you smirking at?" "You know…" he began. "you've changed quite a bit since we first became acquainted." He said thoughtfully. She didn't respond. "Anyways, if we get up, we can actually go somewhere." Matt said, feeling tense. "Hm." Site agreed in a slightly superior-sounding tone. They got up, and this time, Site was leading. This time, Mello was behind _her_.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. 'Neff said.

…Fast-forward to a few months later. Site, Mello, and Matt had (even thought Site had denied it for quite a while) become pretty good friends. The M and M's had helped her stop thinking about what she had lost and helped her forget about what she wished to forget about. To be brutally honest, she had come to love them a fricken little bit… in a spiteful, hating way. It was December, and right around Christmas time. Matt had mentioned that he disliked Christmas because of all the crap going on. Mello was neutral on it, as was Site. On this particular day (December the 23rd), the three of them were having a little conversation on how Christmas went on at Wammy's. "They do this stupid santa thing for the little kids." Mello was carelessly explaining to Site. "And the older kids?" Site asked. "They have this retarded secret santa thing or whatever you want to call it." He continued. "Only the ones with big groups of friends really do it." Wow, Christmas here at Wammy's seemed pretty lame. "What about those who celebrate Hanukkah?" "They have stuff for that, too, but I wouldn't know." He informed. "I see…" Site said, examining her short cut nails. "…Why don't you let those things grow? Most girls here do…" Mello asked. "Well, I'm not most girls here, am I?" she replied. "And I don't need them long. They'll break and I can use my _fists_ for fighting instead of that flapping-your-hands-around crap." She answered pointedly. Mello only replied with a simple "Hm."

They were hanging around in a large room, not unlike the one that Mello and Site had met in. it was decorated with coloured lights and various Christmas things, like the majority of the orphanage. "The food's probably the best part, besides the gifts, if you get some." Matt said, very temporarily fixating himself away from his game. "And who supplies those?" "People. Friends. " Matt explained. "I usually just get him some damn chocolate." Matt said, gesturing towards Mello. Site considered this. Was she going to get them something or was she too lazy? More interestingly, was she going to get anything herself? She couldn't help but wonder. "You're making chocolate sound like a bad thing." Mello suggested. "it's not good for you." Matt said. "And doing nothing but playing video games isn't?" Site asked. "And chocolate is good for your heart." Mello differed. "That's only dark chocolate." "That's _all_ chocolate." Mello corrected. "only dark chocolate has high enough levels of antibiotics and endorphins." Matt argued. "All chocolate has antibiotics and endorphins, you don't need certain amounts of it." Site said. "Oh, you're siding with Mello now?" Matt asked. "No, I'm saying that regardless of the quantity, all chocolate is good for your heart, no matter the levels of antibiotics or endorphins." Site said, trying to remain calm enough to avoid a competitive argument. "But it's not good for you in general, that's the point I was originally trying to get across." Matt conclusively argued.

The next day, December 24th, a.k.a. Christmas eve, people were only busier. The three were walking through a hall when a group of younger kids ran right past them, nearly knocking Matt over. "Ow!" he exclaimed as he tripped and almost fell onto the floor. "Little idiots." He said as they ran off. "Watch it!" he shouted at them before they turned a corner.

That night, Site (…well, pretty much _all_ of the older kids) found it hard to get to sleep. The little kiddies were talking and giggling about when their supposed 'santa' was coming. Of course they still believed in santa, they were still little. Site would thank God for any kids that _didn't_ believe in santa. She was about to yell at them to shut the hell up when one teenager said "Santa won't come if you don't fall asleep." Most of the kids didn't know that this was complete bullshit, so they at least quieted down a considerable amount. She was thankful for that. She ended up only getting a few hours of sleep. One, because of all the commotion the little kids caused so early in the morning, and two, because she was up so late and awake so long, considering that this would be her first Christmas without her parents.

Later, after she ate, she found Mello and Matt. Matt did not look festive at all. The closest Mello was to being festive was eating chocolate shaped like the classic and trademark items of Christmas… trees, stars, snowmen... "The hell were you?" he asked when he saw her. "Merry friggin' Christmas to you, too." She greeted. "Hey, Matt." "What?" he asked without taking his eyes from the game. "Catch." And with no more than that, she threw a few packs of batteries at him (which hit his head). "Ow! What the hell?" he asked as he paused the game. He looked down at the batteries, which were now on the floor. "Oh yeah, thanks." He said, picking them up and putting them in a pocket in his vest. "Here-" he said, taking something out of another pocket. He tossed something at her and she caught it… it was a tube of mascara and a tube of lipgloss tied together with an average elastic band. "Mello told me to get you those." He pointed out. "Shut up!" Mello snapped. Matt only let go a little smirk. "I can't give her everything." Mello continued. "Catch." He threw a little bottle over to Site, which she caught. It was a very dark, burgundy red nail polish bottle. She looked at it for a second, as if it were a confusing clue to solving a great mystery. "I thought you could use it." Matt just let out a little smirk. Site half-smiled and shook her head at it. Mello watched as she got something out of her jacket pocket. "Here." She said as she tossed it to him. "Have some of your damn chocolate."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own death note… yeah.

The day after Christmas, all you could hear were toys and games whirring or buzzing or making a noise of some sort. It was actually quite annoying to the teenagers.

Mello and Matt were sitting, waiting around for Site… again. "How much longer is she gonna take?" Matt complained. "Maybe she's actually putting that crap on…" Mello thought aloud. "I wouldn't think so." Matt replied, taking another battery out of his vest pocket. "But even if she was, I don't think it would take her this long."

A few minutes later, Site arrived in the room. She _was_ wearing the makeup and nail polish. "Hey." She said as she walked in. The two looked over. "Where in the _hell_ have you been?" Matt asked. Mello just looked at her. They both noticed that she had decided to wear the stuff. "Jesus, don't tell me it took you that long just to put it on!" he exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how long it takes for this to dry?" Site asked, holding up her dark red nails. Mello just kept looking at her. With the mascara and lipgloss on, she actually looked… good. "I do now!" Mat argued. "God, I wasn't _that_ long!" Site said. "Like hell you weren't!" … you could actually see her eyelashes (which had turned out to be fairly long), and her lips were shining and tinted pink. To put it simply, she looked prettier than she usually did. "The hell are you looking at?" Mello snapped out of it. "You actually put it on." He said, sounding somewhat impressed and hiding his small sense of awe. "What the hell are you implying?" "I'm implying that it's kind of impressive that you put it on." He said cleverly. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, annoyed. "It means I didn't think you'd actually put it on." He answered coolly. "What the-" "Can we just do something now?" Matt cut across Site. They eventually found an unoccupied room- where the heater was broken. They all walked in and instantly felt cold (except for Matt- he had a long-sleeved shirt and a vest). "Holy crap, it's cold!" Site exclaimed. Mello, who had a jacket hanging over his arm at the time, threw it on. "Lucky bastard…" Site commented quietly. Mello just heard this. He sighed. "Here." He said as he threw his jacket at her. She automatically said "I don't want your damn jacket." And threw it back. The truth was, she actually did a little bit. Mello caught it. "You're gonna be cold." "I'm fine by myself." She protested. "you're the one who said it was cold!" Mello pointed out. "and you don't think so?" "No, I have a jacket!" he explained. "Then you'll be cold." Site argued. "You're the girl, so I offered you my damn jacket." He said, trying to keep the cool. "Now you're just being a sexist." A day just wasn't a day for Site unless she argued with Mello. "Do girls not like getting the better end of the deal?" he asked. Matt got out some earphones, sat down, hooked them p to his game and put them in. he turned up the volume, and now Mello and Site were mimes, only they were actually arguing instead of acting it out. He looked away from this scene and down to his game. 'thank god I have you,' he thought as he unpaused it. "No, they would prefer to do more things themselves instead of having men think they are pathetic little wusses!" "We don't think they're all helpless little wusses!" Mello argued once again. "I wouldn't know, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a guy!" "Then how come you're making the point about men's point of views when you don't know for sure?" "That wasn't the point in the first place!" Site exclaimed. "I didn't need your jacket! What didn't you understand about that and why are you making it so complicated?" "one, you're the one making it complicated. And two, I was just being generous, but I guess you can't accept that." Mello conclusively answered.

They stood there quietly for a minute, ignoring the beeping of Matt;s game, not knowing quite what to say. "…fine." Site finally said, breaking the near-silence. Mello looked over at her. "Hm? What?" he asked, unsure of what she was consenting to. "Just give me the damn jacket." He was surprised. "Do I have to repeat myself or not?" she asked. Mello wordlessly threw her the jacket. She caught it and threw it over her shoulders, slightly embarrassed. "…thanks…" she said quietly as she looked away from Mello. Mello also looked down and away. Site defensively tugged the jacket down on both sides. It was leather, but the inside was comfortable. And the fact that Mello had given it to her somehow made it better.

…Maybe it was just a growing pain- not of physically growing, but of a growing friendship.

…or as Site had refused to think, something other than friendship.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. But I do own DN merchandise now! An L plushie and a replication of the Death Note! XD I'm so happy!

Important Little Note:  okay, I have decided that this story will have songs occasionally put into for you to listen to. I will put in a song either at the end of a chapter or at the beginning. Sometimes I will say that you can listen to it when you feel appropriate.

And in case you were wondering, I _am_ going to reveal Site's REAL name. Not for quite a while, though. I am also going to reveal this now- at the end, the VERY end, there will be a little twist that I won't say anything more about. But if I'm right and I'm being a good writer and doing my job, it will break your heart.

This chapter is also NOT THE END. It is just a time skip at the end.

For Mello, whether Site was wearing makeup or not didn't make much of a difference. She was still somehow getting prettier every day. And for Site, Mello's help, assistance, or 'generosity', as he called it, was somehow desired more and more no matter how little she thought she wanted it. But of course headstrong stubbornness prevailed over logical thinking about emotions. Matt, being the slacking referee of most of Site and Mello's rows, had no knowledge of his fight and therefore stood quite far away from it.

Maybe it was another case involving the four stages.

Stage one: Denial. This had already taken effect, and would for quite a while. It was a couple of weeks after the jacket ordeal, and a local club announced that they were having a dance, mostly for the youth in the area. Site was debating on going. The orphanage allowed kids to get out once in a while so that they weren't so isolated. That way, teens had opportunities to socialize and go out into the outside world. But for things like this, you had to have someone to go with. That was Site's main obstacle. She consulted Mello and Matt on this. "I'm debating on the dance thing, but I need people to go with." She said one day, as the three were hanging out at another random place in the orphanage. "What, you want to force us out with you?" Mello asked in a nagging tone. "If I were forcing you, would I be asking?" Site inquired. "And it's just a few hours." "I don't like going out." Matt said dully. "For god's sake, do you even go out to know what it's like in the first place?" Site asked, annoyed at his excuses. "No, and I can't say I care, either." He replied. "Why don't you just go with Mello?" both Site and Mello looked up. "What the hell are you implying?" Site asked immediately. "Jesus, I'm not _implying_ anything! I never said you had to go on a date with him, don't jump to conclusions!" he answered. Mello's face reddened, and he hid it by turning the other way and pretending to check to see how much chocolate he had left. Site blushed as well, but she looked down and tried to pass it off as annoyance. She ended up not going.

Stage two: Anger. Stage two came quite late… in fact, it came about a little more than a month late. Denial was still there, but it was sharing it's residence with anger. Site took out her anger on pretty much everything she could. Screaming strongly-worded phrases about whoever or whatever was pissing her off into her pillow, propping up her mattress and beating the living crap out of it, and (on more than one occasion) almost actually severely hurting people. It was like extreme mood swings… and truth be told, Matt and Mello were slightly scared of her during this time (Matt a little more than Mello, of course).

Stage three: Depression. Anger had also remained for a long while (_another_ month and a little), and denial _still_ wasn't leaving. Therefore it was another denial-other stage combination. Site had become more depressed, needless to say, and more obsessed with everything that made her life so hard. Her dead parents, her lack of family in general, her being so far away from back home, this stupid orphanage, her confusion (and once again, denial) with…that Mello thing, and how her future looked invisible, if not empty. So, one ever-so-fateful day, she broke down just a little.

At the time, she was thinking about all of this, finally unable to avoid it, about to crack. It didn't help that she was storm-walking through a hall…where people could see her. So she found some privacy. She ducked into a medium-sized closet and shut the door. Nobody used the closets, as far as her knowledge went. She fell onto the floor, back against the wall, holding her head. She unsurely thought about crying, but that happened on it's own. And once it came out, it was flooding out. She was instantly full-on crying, and choking slightly. After a minute, she quieted down but was still crying. She stuck her tear-stained face in her arms and clutched her head tightly, moving her knees up towards her. "…Site?"

…Oh, fuck.

Site just froze. Tears still streaming down her face and into her arms, she felt like she couldn't move.

Seeing Site like this was like the biggest slap in the face for Mello. Site had also been a tough little bitch, there was no denying it. But seeing her now, she looked so weak, so… helpless and vulnerable. "Site…?" he said unsurely. "What-" "What the hell do you want?" Site interrupted. It was embarrassing and pitiful, but it was all she could say. "..what's wrong?" he asked slowly and carefully. Site had never heard him with this tone of voice before. When she didn't respong, he had no choice but to say or do something. "…Matt and I split up to look for you." This didn't help very much, so he repeated the question. "What's wrong?" Site was surprised at how different he sounded now… and she felt the need to not be so alone right now. "Fucking everything." She must have finally burst. This was beginning to be an awkward moment for Mello, until an electronically controlled toy car went off course and hit the almost closed door. The car was chunky enough to force the door open even more. It suddenly swung open, hence knocking Mello off balance and making him fall… onto Site.

Fortunately, Mello had caught himself by involuntarily jerking his hands onto whatever he could grab and save himself. One hand was on the floor, behind Site, propping him up. But the other was actually on Site's shoulder. He was a little bit shocked, himself. He slipped again, an account of his right hand (the one on Site's shoulder) slipping. He ended up with his lower arm draping off of Site's shoulder and onto her back. Site was also a little shocked. But too miserable to hear or see the toy car hit the door and hit Mello forward, she had mistaken this for a hug in an attempt to comfort her. Thinking this, she carefully wrapped both of her arms around Mello. She mostly wanted to hold back more tears, but a small part of her didn't care. Mello had already seen her. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

The smaller part of her won, and tears silently slid down her face and onto her lap. Mello had noticed that she thought he was hugging her, just as he had noticed she wasn't holding anything back. Out of pity and confusion, he hugged her back.

Stage four: Acceptance. Even after the incident in the closet, she had a sense of denial, which eventually faded into a shadow of denial, then to dust. After _seven_ months, she could finally accept it. She liked Mello. As _more_ than a friend. It was hard, but it was the truth. She had a crush on Mello, she liked Mello, she fancied Mello, however you wanted to put it… she had feelings for Mello.

…Feelings she would keep in for another two years.

(I hate everything about you- Three Days Grace)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own death note.

Important little Note:

Before reading this, you can listen to Mello's theme. Or while you read it. I don't care. And it has to be the full 3 minute and 43 second one, not the short 45 second one. But you don't have to.

…Two years later: 2012.

The news of L's death had now spread internationally. Kira was now as rampant as ever- no one publicly stood up to him. Only a secret organization, the SPK, proved to be against Kira. Everyone else supported, or at least pretended to support Kira, mainly out of fear. Kira had become God of a new world.

Of course, with the news of L's death came the confusing decisions of his successors (or, as many people preferred, his 'replacements'). Site had been surprised at Mello being a possible replacement for L… she had thought that all his bragging was just him being cocky and giving them bullshit on a silver platter. She must have ignored Matt's loosely shown agreement with Mello.

Over two years, Site had changed somewhat. Her wardrobe no longer mainly consisted of simple jeans, tank tops and T-shirts, with only one jacket, but of plain tops, multiple (usually denim) jackets, and many (dark-wash, faded, ripped, boot cut, you name it) jeans. Her normal outfit was a (normally white) midriff top, an average denim jacket, cuffed at the wrists, and a form-fitting pair of jeans. Her hair had noticeably darkened, making it more distinguishably brown, and was now slightly longer (a couple inches past her shoulders) and straight. She continuously kept makeup at a minimal, wearing only mascara, lipgloss, and the occasional eyeliner. Under that, she was mostly the same tough bitch she was at 15 and 16.

Mello and Matt had changed a little as well- Mello still had the chocolate addiction, but had used leather a little more in his common wardrobe. He had also become a little (_just_ a little) more violent. Matt still had the same Video-game-addiction-syndrome, but he wasn't as obsessive as he was at 13 and 14. He had also become more assertive, and gained plenty of expertise on how to handle one of Site and Mello's rows. He wore darker and more eye-concealing sunglasses, so that his eyes were hardly ever seen anymore.

Now, to the present- Site and Matt were waiting outside an office, where Mello was (along with a short, white-haired kid, who looked firmiliar to Site. Mello and Matt had mentioned that he was Near, the _other_ replacement option). The mini meeting was about L's successor. They had a little bit of yelling, and what sounded like something fall, but nothing else. Site had tried putting her ear to the door, but it was completely muffled. Site was now sitting in a chair opposite the door, and Matt was sitting on the floor beside the door. A moment later, Mello came out. He looked stressed and kind of pissed off. "What did they say?" Site asked. As if she had to. Mello looked up at her. "Near's L's replacement." He said through gritted teeth. "…always second best." Matt threw in from below and almost behind Mello. Mello let out a breath and clenched his fists. "That bastard." He said quietly. "He's only 15, he doesn't know how to handle something like this." Site had quite a few comments on this, but she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Now wasn't the time. "Come on, let's go." Matt said with a sigh, after an awkward silence.

They found a deserted room with a few items of furniture and sat down. There was another silence as Mello put his fingers to his head. "…Why did they pick Near, anyway?" Matt asked. Mello didn't respond for a moment. "…They didn't pick Near. I told them to allow Near to be L's replacement." He answered. Both Matt and Site looked very confused. "Then why the hell were you so pissed off?" Site asked, demanding an answer. "Because when I opened the door, I realized I didn't have very many options." Mello answered, only heating up again. "If I can't be L's successor, then what will I have to be? And I already said I would leave this place for good…" Mello ran his hand into his hair and pulled hard, in frustration. Site thought about what Mello was saying… he really didn't have so many options. But whatever he did do, Site would be there for him, even if only as a friend.

Mello stopped clutching his hair and pulled his hand away from his head. He let out a breath. "I'm still going to stop this. I'm still going to have my part in defeating Kira." He stated, looking down at the space of floor in between his feet. "…I'm with you Mello." Matt said after yet another silence. Mello looked up at him. "Me too." Site agreed. Now Mello looked over at her. "…I'm with you." She said, looking back. Mello was about to say thanks, but something inside of him stopped him from speaking that word. It had been so long since he had actually said it. He looked back down, speechless. Mtt looked down as well. But Site kept her eyes on Mello. She looked at his shoulder, which she couldn't help but wish her hand was resting on. She looked down at his hand, which she couldn't help but wish to hold. She looked at his half-hidden lips, which she-

She stopped her train of thought right then and looked down, like the other two had. Maybe this wasn't the time. Maybe she could only be a friend to him now.

Mello thought. His two best friends were with him… good. He wouldn't be alone. He wanted to look up at Matt, but even more, he wanted to look up to Site. But what if she saw him? He wanted to thank them both… buy Matt one of his games, or maybe some cigarettes… he had began smoking barely a year before. Site hadn't smoked…often. Only when she felt she really needed one. And as for thanking her… he wanted to give her a hug, to hold her if only for some seconds. He had never hugged her… only once, two years before.

…and the day she broke down, and he hugged her, was the day that he considered that he might like her as a little more than a friend.

(Crushcrushcrush- Paramore)


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.

The next day, everyone began packing. Mello _had_ already said he would leave, and Matt and Site were with him. But where would they go? And what could they do to stop Kira? What could they do, _period_?

Everyone tried to take a break from thinking those thoughts as they took one last walk around the orphanage. They were leaving the next day. "So, who's gonna get the apartment?" Mello asked as they took their time walking down the halls of Wammy's. "Can't we get different apartments? I don't wanna live with a _girl_-" Matt said, with an almost nagging tone in his voice. "_Thanks._" Site said sarcastically. "Well it's true. Wouldn't you mind living with two guys?" he asked. "No, why the hell would I mind?" "Because we-" "Off-topic." Mello interrupted before Matt could say anything Site would prefer _not_ to hear. "We're getting one apartment because it's cheaper." He explained. "Why? Site probably won't let me smoke inside." Matt complained. "I don't give a crap if you smoke inside, I take a smoke once in a while!" Site argued. "Well you probably won't let me use the TV for my video games all the time!" "I don't care, I have better things to do than watch TV!" "Back to the damn question, can I get an answer?" Mello asked in frustration. Site let out a breath a breath. "Fine, I'll get the damn apartment." She said.

Now that she thought about it, sharing an apartment with Mello and Matt wouldn't be so bad… no little kids to annoy them, no having to deal with anyone at Wammy's… and she and them would be alone more often, which meant that she could be alone with Mello more…

"Okay, start looking now." Mello instructed. "I'm not looking through 50 newspapers for an apartment by myself!" Site stated defiantly. "…Fine, we'll all look."

After another half-hour of collecting papers, they were looking for a three-bedroom, medium- to large-sized apartment. After God knows how long, Matt found something. It was a medium-sized, two-bedroom (they figured they would move another bed into one room or hope that the couch was a fold-out), and two other-room (a bathroom and a room that was a combination of a living room, a dining room and a kitchen) apartment. Not exactly cheap, but it wasn't out of the price range. Mello took out a chocolate bar, unwrapped it, and took a bite. "Perfect." Was all he had to say.

"We're gonna need jobs." Site said bluntly. "Jesus, can't you let us take a break and be happy about the apartment thing?" Matt asked. "One, we don't even know if we can get the apartment, and-" "it says the price has been lowered, so I'm guessing there weren't many takers. And the person selling must be pretty desperate to lower a price like that." Mello said pointedly, cutting Site off. "Okay, fine. Two, don't celebrate half-way through." She said, looking in Matt's direction. "We can worry about jobs _after_ we get the apartment. We have some money in the bank." Matt said explanatorily. "…fine." Site grumbled.

Later, when it was dark, they were all in a room abandoned by the younger kids for their bedrooms. Matt was sitting in a large chair, fiddling around with his turned-off gaming device. Site was lying on a couch, legs crossed, hands behind her head, as Mello was looking out a window, leaning on the sill. "You know, I might actually might miss this place a little bit." He said, keeping his eyes on the appearing stars outside. "Hm." Matt said unfathomably. "I might not miss it so much." "Yeah, that's because you don't have any memories because all you've done during your time here is play video games." Site said. Mello turned his attention to her reflection in the window. The couch she was lying on was behind him. He took a breath she looked pensive. He loved how she looked when she was pensive. Matt looked over at Mello, raised his eyebrows, then looked over at Site. He had his minor suspicions.

Site sighed. "I really wasn't very happy when I first came here." She reminisced. "Still wasn't very happy when _you_ people came along." "Aren't you nice?" Mello asked sarcastically. "Yeah, well…" Site said, becoming thoughtful again. What would her parents think of Mello? What would they think of her _now_?

As these thoughts ran through Site's mind, Matt was playing around with the idea of Mello and Site… Mello _with_ Site… his two best friends dating… would this be a good thing or a bad thing?

The next day- moving day. Their bags were packed and they had called in for the apartment earlier that morning. Needless to say, they got it. Wammy's provided the last ride from the orphanage, to the apartment building. They were dropped off in a black limousine, and the woman who owned the apartment building got some rather disappointing first impressions from this. They were shown their apartment, and Site was given the keys. They walked in and were surprised at how large it looked for a 'medium-sized' five-room apartment. "…And we'll be living here…" Matt said from behind the other two. "_Really?_ Because I was under the impression that we were just checking it out." Mello commented sarcastically. "I'm checking out the bedrooms." Site said, ignoring the other twos' statements. "Same." Mello said as Matt followed. They went down a small hall and into an open door on the left. They saw that it was painted dull green, with a queen-sized bed in one corner. "Look at the other room." Site said, hoping the other room would be more attractive.

…It wasn't. it was painted a more beachy sand colour, with a double bed. "Damn…" Site said under her breath. "I call the bigger bed." Mello said almost instantly. "Screw you, it's mine!" Site said. "No friggin' way, why do you get it?" he asked. "Why do _you_ get it?" She threw right back. "Don't I get a say in this?" Matt asked from the oh-so-firmiliar sidelines. "Here, let's just see if the couch is a fold-out." "Why the hell do I get the couch?" "I never said that, maybe we'll take turns." Site replied. "And if it's not?" Mello asked. "Well, unless you two wanna share a bed, then one's gonna have to sleep on the couch, because I'm not sharing a bed." She answered as both Matt and Mello made disgusted faces at her notion.

The couch was fold-out. And instead of making dinner themselves and getting used to the apartment, Matt hooked up some games, Site ordered pizza, and they played video games and ate pizza until 11:30. "You guys getting tired yet?" "Mm." Mello responded to Site's question. "Not really," Matt said. "Pfft, fine." Site said tiredly. "I'm going to bed." she said as she got up. Mello instantly got up as well. If Site got to bed first, she'd get the better bed for herself. Site caught this, and darted towards the room. Mello raced her there and Matt saw them disappear into the hall in between the two rooms. "…I guess I'll have the couch… tonight…" he shouted. They didn't seem to notice.

It was a close race. They both got to the door at about the same time. "Screw _off!" _Site said as she grabbed the handle and jerked the door open. Nobody was at the bed yet. If she could get there first, she would get it. She'd win.

Unfortunately for her, Mello had thought of this as well. They shot towards the bed. Site successfully rolled on, almost right in the middle of the bed. Mello, on the other hand, had slipped and only managed to get his arms onto the edge of the bed. Site was lying on her stomach near the middle of the bed, and Mello was hanging on to the side- and their faces were inches apart. He got up and turned away, hiding his blushing. "Fine…you can have the damn bed." He said and walked out tensely.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. BUT NOW I OWN SOME DN MANGA!!! WOOHOO BITCHES!!!

A week later, Mello walked through the door of the apartment. The three had been contemplating jobs, and _holy shit,_ he didn't know whether to consider this a job or not. He had already told Matt about the mafia, and like he said before, he was with him. But how would Site react? He and Matt had entered the world of organized crime, not to mention they would have to move- _to California._ Would she join them? Would she move with them? She had to…she couldn't stay here, living her own life, making new friends, forgetting about them… forget about him, meet another guy, get married, have kids…No! But what if she did? She couldn't do that, she _wouldn't_ do that… Matt was with him, after all, maybe Site would be too…

Mello threw his coat aside, onto the floor, not bothering to hang it up. "Hey," he said as he walked past the living section of that apartment. Matt was trying to hook up a game. "Hey" Matt replied. "Good luck with her." Mello was going to respond, but he had far too much going through his mind.

He found her in the green room. She was standing in the middle of the floor, looking at the walls. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked. "Thinking about what colour to paint the walls." She answered. "Miss… what'sherface will let me if I bribe her with money. She seems to like that." 'Oh crap…' Mello thought. "…You might not wanna do that…" he said cautiously. Site turned around and looked at him. "…Why?" she asked with a clear question on her face. Mello took a breath. "Because I…me and Matt…we're, kinda…" "Ok, seriously stop stalling, it can't be that bad." She said, unsure of whether to show a sense of urgency or sympathy or curiosity. "…We…" why was he stuttering? He could make his own damn decisions. "We're joining the mafia." He finally said, and the look on Site's face told him that this was a bad thing. "What the fuck do you mean you're joining the mafia?!?" she nearly yelled. "I mean we're joining the mob, we'll catch Kira. We'll make money, we'll have to live in California, but-" "_California?!?"_ Site was too shocked to be quiet. "What the _fuck_ do you mean _California?_ Are you presuming that you're just going to drag me along like some luggage and have me watch you two become criminals?!?" she yelled. Matt, who was still in the living room, was going to jump into the fray, but quickly saw that this was going to get ugly. He sat back down, keeping away from this for now. "No, I'm asking you to come with us!" Mello responded. "I'm not joining the mafia! It's crime either way and I'm not standing by!" "I never fucking said you had to join the goddamn mafia, I'm asking you to come to California! Joining the mafia is up to you!" Mello shouted back. "You won't catch Kira in the mafia, you'll just get into shit!" Site argued. She wasn't backing down. "No I won't! I can make my own decisions, and if I couldn't catch Kira, then why would I be joining the mafia?!?" "I don't know, why the hell are you joining the fucking mob?!?" site was now yelling so loud, Matt was afraid to make any noise. Mello was quickly equaling her volume. With him yelling as well, he was afraid to move. "Shut _up_!" Mello yelled, clutching his head. "I can do what I want, and Matt's sticking with me!" "You think I don't _care_ about Matt joining?" "Well you seem to only be lecturing me! And since we're going into the damn mob, why don't you?!?" "I'm not a criminal! And just because my friends make stupid choices doesn't mean I will too!" "So it's a stupid choice now!" "Yes! What the hell did I just say? And why can't you just work with Near?!?" "You don't understand, he's my fucking rival, I can't-" "That's childish, just because you two hate eachother doesn't mean you can't both catch Kira!" Matt was becoming afraid to think. "You don't fucking understand, it's not just him! L has one successor, not two gifted people working together!" "No! that's not what I meant, you don't fucking get it-" "I don't? then why don't you explain?!?" "I would if you weren't being such an arrogant asshole!" …she called him an asshole. An _arrogant_ asshole. "I can make my own decisions, it's my life and you can't tell me what to do, _Mom_-" "don't fucking try that with me!" Matt heard a knock at the door. He didn't answer it, but he admired the bravery of the knocker. "Why do you care?!?" Mello shouted. "Why do I care? How the fuck do you _not_ expect me to care?!? You and Matt are my best friends, you can't risk your lives in the mob! You have no fucking _idea_ how much I care about you!" About _you_? "You and Matt are my best and only friends, how can you think I have no idea?!?" he yelled as he turned his back to her, holding his temples. By the end of this, he was going to have a huge headache and no voice. "You appear not to know-" "You think I don't know, I care about you two more than anything, Matt's been my best friend since I was little, you have no idea how much I care about you! Or am I being a fucking sexist because you're a _girl_?!?"

Mello was angry enough to kill someone. How could she not understand any of this? She didn't know. She had no idea how much he cared about her. He could punch a few holes in the walls. Hell, he could tear down the walls. He could explode, especially if he didn't let his anger out. He was so fucking angry he could just…kiss her.

"If you care about me and him so much, why the hell are you doing this to us?!?"

…he turned around, grabbed her shoulders, and crashed his lips onto hers.

Site was caught in shock, hardly able to think. Mello himself was in a similar state… too paralyzed to move, too shocked to do anything.

After a few seconds, he fell back. But Site leaned forward a couple inches and kissed him again. She couldn't let go now. He had cared about her this much. And for Mello, he was wrong…she did understand how much he cared about her.

Mello somehow came to stand straight. His hands slipped onto her waist and her back. Even through denial and trying to push it to the back of his mind, this is what he had wanted for a long time. Site moved her hands onto his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling closer.

Meanwhile, Matt had found the courage to get up and quietly walk over to the room. Why was it quiet all of a sudden? Did one finally kill the other? He peeked into the room.

_Oooooohhh…_

A part of him wanted to tell them to stop their tongue-wrestling, but he kept quiet. He let them have their moment.

…And now everything would change.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note…yeah. And I am SOOOOO SORRY for the long update. Like it said in my profile, I went on a cruise. It was hard to get everything back in place when I came back.

Site ended up not painting the apartment room- she was going with Mello and Matt to California. She would get an apartment there, while Mello and Matt did their thing with the mafia. She knew she wasn't joining. And she couldn't stop the other two from doing what they wanted.

They were at an airport, just waiting for their plane to be called. Mello and Site were sitting beside each other, half-hiding the fact that they were holding hands. Matt was pissed because the batteries he brought turned out to be used instead of new and fully loaded. "Why couldn't we take something other than a plane? I fucking hate planes." Site complained. "Because we could only take a plane, not to mention it was cheaper. I had some _financial aid._" He said, concealing the fact that the mafia had assisted in paying for the trip. Site looked away, to her lower right. It wasn't the height or altitude that bothered her- it was just the fact that the first time she had gone on a plane, it was because her parents couldn't be with her.

On the plane, she and Mello sat together, while Matt was behind them. Site felt like they were leaving Matt out, and at first she thought 'I'll let him sit with Mello on the trip back.' But then she was reminded '…what trip back?'. Most of the time, Matt was actually wondering whether to sulk, keep an eye on Mello and Site, or just forget it. He ended up trying to sleep. But when he couldn't, he just adjusted his sunglasses and pretended to be unconscious. Site refused to sit in the window seat, so that was where Mello was. Most of the time, she was looking down, trying to think of something other than planes. Mello was left to look out the window, thinking of what lay ahead of him- California, a new, underground organization, trying to catch Kira, to beat Near for once… and the way he'd have to live for a long time… possibly with Matt, but separate from Site… which was obviously going to be a big change, considering he had lived with at least one of his best friends for most of his life.

He drifted into these thoughts until he heard Site give a groan and put her hands to the side of her face. He put one hand on the back of her shoulder and she took one hand away from her head and put her elbow on the armrest, leaning closer to Mello.

Once the direct flight to Santa Barbara (they would be less traceable than they would have been if they had gotten a flight right to Los Angeles) had landed, all three orphans were tired and bored out of their minds from eight and a half hours of single-pointed flying. It took a little over another hour to sort out the luggage ordeals. Once they got out of the semi-crowded, rather uniform-looking airport, they saw a long black limousine. A broad-looking, well dressed, and slightly balding man was waiting on the street by it. He was gazing around until he laid eyes on the three. He stopped and took out what looked like two photographs. Mello saw him and looked back at the other two for only a second. "Come on." He said seriously.

The man looked from the pictures to them, and put the photos back in his pocket. "…Mello? ...Matt?" he asked in a low, gruff tone when they reached him. "Yeah." Mello said in an equal tone as he pulled some things out of his pocket. He subtly passed them to the man, who lifted his lower arm and took them. He looked at them closely, then put them into a back pocket.

"…who's she?" he asked, looking at Site through a pair of slick, dark sunglasses. "She's with us." Mello said coolly. 'What am I, an object now?' Site thought. "He didn't say anything about your little girlfriend joining." He must have caught Site's look of offense, but said nothing about it. Mello glared at him. "She's not." He said as Matt let out a breath and made his eyes look over at Mello. "Then why's she here?" the man challenged. "Look, he said she's with us." Matt said, slightly irritated. "She had another plan. It's none of your concern." Mello added coldly. "F'you say so." The man shrugged and opened a door on the limousine. "…Ladies first." He said, smirking at Site. She glared at him and let Matt impatiently get in first.

The drive took quite a while, but they eventually got to a hotel in Ventura, and the three were instructed to crash there for the night. They were informed of a "pre-organized" wake-up call around 8:00.

Since they were only expecting the two men, there were only two beds. Matt suggested that Site share a bed with Mello with a bitter tone in his voice (whether it was from a long day or the relationship situation in general was unknown), but Site scoffed and just pulled out an extra mattress and some extra shit from the closet and slept on the floor.

Everyone fell asleep quickly that night, knowing they would have an eventful day tomorrow.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Need I _really_ say more?

7:58 a.m.- There was a knock on the hotel room door. This woke Mello and Site up, but they preferred to remain in bed. The unknown person on the other side of the door knocked again. Mello groaned and looked up. For a second he forgot he was in a hotel. He brushed his eyes with the back of his hand, and crashed back down onto the pillow. There was another knock. "Go away," he said, slightly slurring his speech while Site didn't move, being blissfully ignorant to everything that was going on. There was a soft click, and the doorknob turned. Site heard this and blinked as she watched the door open. Her mind registered that someone was opening it, therefore someone was coming in. she pulled the covers over her head. She didn't want to be seen right now, she hadn't even brushed her hair.

"…Who the fuck let you in?" Mello asked the man who had entered. He had a white suit, a Rolex, and a gold chain necklace. His hair had been combed off to one side, but not exactly smoothed. He had tanned skin, and looked like he was in no mood to screw around. "Well, good morning to you, too. The door was unlocked." He said in a slightly laid back tone. "Wait, who the fuck didn't lock the door?" Mello asked. He then remembered that Matt was asked to. "Damn it, Matt…" he said, putting three fingers to his head. "You might wanna get up, we're leaving in half an hour." The man said aloofly. "Half an hour?!?" Site exclaimed from the other side of the room. The man leaned over and gave her a strange look before giving her a little nod. "This is bullshit!" Site nearly yelled as she got up and went to her suitcase. She unlocked it and pulled out a hairbrush, a toothbrush, toothpaste, mascara, a hair clip, and sufficient clothing. "Do you _mind_?" she asked him impatiently as she pushed him out of the way to get into the bathroom and shut the door. He simply rolled his eyes "…Women…" he said to himself. Mello just watched this happen. "Who the hell is she, anyways?" The man asked. "None of your damn business, now do you mind waiting outside?" Mello replied. He raised his eyebrows and turned on is heel to open the door. It was only now that Mello had realized what he made Site sound like. He irritably let out a breath and walked over to Matt. He shook him. "Hey, wake up." Matt didn't move. He shook him harder. "Hey, wake the hell up, we gotta go in 30 minutes." "…Hm?" Matt asked, half-asleep. "We're getting outta here in half an hour, wake the hell up." He said. "…What?...Half an hour?" Matt asked groggily. "Yes, get up!" "Why the hell didn't you get me up earlier?!?" Matt asked. "We weren't awake earlier." Mello responded. "Damn…" Matt said, forcing himself to get up.

Half an hour later, they were ready. Or if they weren't, they had to be anyways. After they checked out, they got into another limo. The driver didn't start out of the parking lot, though. "…Aren't we supposed to be going?" Site asked. "We're waiting." The driver said in reply. "For what?" Mello asked. "James, the guy that woke you up." Site sighed.

Ten minutes later, James got in the vehicle. "Where the hell were you? You told us thirty minutes." Mello asked. "Thirty minutes?" the driver asked. "We were giving you three an hour." "Son of a bitch!" Site exclaimed as Matt complained "What the hell?" James seemed unaffected. "Let's go." He said to the driver, trying to hide a smirk.

It did take a long time, but to make a long, tedious drive short, they were in Los Angeles…eventually.

The vehicle stopped in front of a tall, gray building. "Why're we here?" James asked. "They heard about the girl," The driver answered. "They figured we should get her a place, if she has different plans." The four passengers looked out of the left-hand windows. James snorted. "Pretty nice place for some chick that's not even joining." "He said he was being generous. We should apparently be generous to Mello's girl. He's gonna be quite a contribution to us, he's from Wammy's for Christ's sake. And Matt, too." He replied explanatorily. 'Will they ever stop calling her my damn girlfriend?' Mello thought while Site was caught up in looking at the building. This was pretty quick and easy.

There were a few more minutes of silence before the driver asked "Are you gonna check it out any time today?" Site rolled her eyes as she waited for Mello and James to get out.

"It's room H86," the driver informed as they got out of the vehicle.

They walked into the building, and into the lobby (which was mostly themed in colours such as white, tan, light browns, and a few shades of gray). The receptionist was a woman in her twenties, who looked quite done-up with a dark blue dress suit, glasses, and brown hair that had been highlighted blonde and put into a full bun. She looked up from her work when they walked in. they walked up to the desk and explained what apartment Site supposedly had while she looked at them questioningly. "Your paperwork?" she asked in an almost overly polite tone. "Umm…" Site said unsurely, looking to each of the others. James pulled some papers from the inside of his coat and handed them to the receptionist. She took them, looked them over, and put some things into her computer. "…Okay, here's your keys." She said as she handed them to Site. "The room's on floor 10, or floor H. Room 86." She said conclusively, with a smile.

They took the elevator in near silence. They had a fairly lengthy walk down the single hall and found the room. Site unlocked the door herself and walked in.

The apartment was fairly large, and the walls were mostly painted a creamy, antique lace-like colour with a quaint, even, floral-themed border. It was furnished, and furnished well. Big, comfy-looking couch, the appropriate armchair, shining, wooden coffee table, TV off to the side, nice lighting fixtures, et cetera. An entrance to the kitchen was visible immediately after entering the apartment, and even that looked nice. White tiles, whitish-gray, granite-like countertops, many dark wood cabinets, drawers, and cupboards, and more than decent appliances. "Damn…" Matt said upon noticing all of this. "…I'm looking at my room!" Site stated and hastened down a short, wide hall that lead to the bedroom and bathroom.

Site was even a little shocked when she pushed open the door to the bedroom. It was dull blue, with a big, plush-looking, ice blue-coloured, queen-sized bed. Across from the bed was a good-sized dresser, and beside the bed was a medium-dark-coloured nightstand, complete with an alarm clock. Mello and Matt, who had appeared behind Site, were considerably unsure of what to say. "…God damn it!" Matt suddenly said, jealous of her nocturnal accommodations. "You lucky bitch!" Site smiled to herself as she walked towards the closet…it was a walk-in. Mello sat on the edge of the bed as Site roamed in her closet. "…Holy shit…" he said quietly to himself. "Hey! Get off of my damn bed!" Site said as she got out of her closet. Hm… _her_ bed. _Her_ closet. _Her_ apartment. She liked the sound of this.

After a few more minutes, James had to interrupt this ever-so-exciting exploration. "We gotta go soon." Mello and Matt sighed, a little irritated. How often would they be able to visit? "I'll be waiting outside. Make it quick." James said, almost demanded, as he walked out and shut the door behind him.

"…How long till you guys can get your asses back here?" Site asked the other two. "We don't know." Mello responded. "Great…" Site sarcastically remarked. After a couple more minutes of silence, Mello said "…Yeah, we gotta go.". They each let out their own irritated, disappointed sighs. "…Alright." Site said. "See ya, Matt." She said before exchanging a loose hug with him. "See ya."

Matt left and Site and Mello were temporarily left alone. Site looked up at him. "Are you sure you don't know when you'll be back?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm sure." He answered. "I'll try to come back as soon as I can…Matt, too." "Okay." Site almost nodded. She and Mello held each other and almost hesitantly kissed each other goodbye. "…Goodbye." Site said as Mello opened the door. "…Bye." He said before he left, looking almost apologetically at Site.

Site was left alone, in _her _apartment.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note…yeah.

…_Site cried into her hands. "Why is Mello gone?" she asked. Matt, who was sitting beside her in the large, empty, white room, put his hand on her shoulder. "It's not anyone's fault." he said in a light, but sad tone. "But who's fault is it? It's somebody's fault!" Site responded. "I'm sorry." Matt said as he pulled out a black handkerchief, but didn't use it. "No, I'm sorry. I can't help being depressed. Everyone's gone!" she exclaimed into her hands. "…Look." Matt said. Site barely lifted her head. "Look." He said again. She looked up and towards him. He took her chin in his thumb and fingers. "I'm not gone." He said, looking right at her. They both leaned in closer and closer, knowing what was going to happen-_

Site woke up and her eyes nearly bolted open. She had an almost subconscious expression on her face- wide eyes, mouth partially open and breathing quickly. Shock, in general, mixed with almost fear. _What the hell was that?_ She and Matt were clearly only friends…and Mello wasn't gone. Thank god it was only a dream…or a nightmare…

As soon as she came closer to her senses, she looked around… she was in her bedroom, in her new apartment. Nobody else was there. She glanced over at the digital alarm clock- 4:03 a.m. She got up to got to the kitchen to see if there was coffee- she was afraid to go to bed again. She had horrible, horrible, fucked-up dreams.

6:00 a.m.- She planned to go grocery shopping later… if she could figure out where. Right now she was lounging lazily on the couch, flipping through television channels. Early morning shows- weak attempts at humour. Cartoons- Not her cup of tea. News channels- Kira this, Kira that. Infomercials- did she really need to take mental notes of how stupid those are? She went with one of the news channels- the ever-so-popular Sakura TV could work_. "-sixteen men and women have died, needless to say, from heart attacks yesterday. Many of those who have committed crimes leaning towards the minor scale, such as theft and attempted assault under the intoxication of alcohol and illegal drugs. This is no doubt further work of our saviour, Kira,-"_ "Geez, it's like Kira's God on earth now…" Site said to herself. Well, he kinda was…but it's not like she didn't fear him… she did, a little bit. But for the most part, she knew she was safe- up till now, when Mello and Matt had decided to join the mafia. Dumbasses. Now because of them, she could die more easily. But so could they…in fact, they were in more danger than her. Great, now she had to worry about everyone…

12:00 a.m.- she had gotten directions to the grocery place from Janet (the receptionist's name, apparently). She made herself walk instead of take a taxi. It was cheaper, it killed time, and it would get her to know her way around better. Walking seemed like a great idea…until she realized she would have to walk all the way back with everything she had got at the store. All the drinks, junk food, frozen crap, actual food, and few magazines she had bought. _That_ was when she was forced to flag down a taxi.

By 3:45 p.m., Site was back at her apartment and everything was put where it was supposed to be. She, on the other hand, was relaxing on the couch, reading a fashion magazine (which was actually quite dull… Site couldn't care less about this season's top trends or what clothes you should wear to flatter your figure). But it was somehow…_therapeutic_, in a sense. It was actually quite nice to be alone for once.

Skipping to a few days later, Site finally got a visit from Mello and Matt.

"About fucking time!" she exclaimed as she opened the door. "Great to see you, too. Where's your food?" Matt asked as he pushed his way through the doorway. "…we got a day or two off." Mello explained as Site watched Matt raid her fridge. "Really?" she asked, turning to Mello. "So how long are you guys staying?" Mello shrugged. "I don't know." Site's eyes caught a brown bag at Mello's side, his hand wrapped around the top. "What's that?" she asked. Mello pulled out a bottle of wine. "A celebratory drink." He said with somewhat of a dark smirk. Site rolled her eyes and took the bag and the bottle. "wait- you got _three bottles_?!?" she asked, peering at the other two bottles in the bag. "The hell are you planning on?" "I figured what we didn't drink, you could have." He answered calmly. "And how much did you think we were going to drink?" she didn't get an answer, for Mello had joined Matt in discovering the food in the kitchen. Site rolled her eyes again and put the alcohol on the counter. "How did you get this, anyways?" she asked. "We're in the mob, do you really need to ask?" Mello answered, his eyes fixated on the items in the back of some cupboards. "Oooh, of course, you can do _anything_ when you're in the mafia…" Site commented sarcastically.

…And later in the evening, to put it simply, they were just a little bit drunk.

"…Matt..Matt, come on, we gotta go…" Mello said. "Hmm…" Matt replied passively. "You guys don't gotta go, you can crash here…" Site suggested. "Besides, _Mello_," she said, over-accentuating his name. "I don't want you going back to those hookers in the mafia." "I told you, they're not hookers." Mello responded. "They're just women in skimpy, skin-thight clothes, with big-" "Shut the hell up, or I'll…puch you out cold, I don't want to hear about the mob's bitches." Site interrupted. "You won't punch me out, honey." He argued. "I will if you call me one more stupid pet name…" Site threatened. Mello laughed. "No you won't, _baby_." He was pushing his luck. Site moved over to him and punched him, fairly hard, on his jaw. "Ow, damn you, sweetie…cake...pie… oh, screw it…" Mello said, tripping backwards. Matt saw this and wondered what he should do…maybe he should have a little more wine…

Matt grabbed the last wine bottle and took a few gulps. He looked up at the other two. He saw Site look to him, and he offered her some wine. "Thanks, Matt. You're my best friend, Matt." She went over to the couch on which he was sitting and took the bottle. She drank half of what was left. "Hey, spare some booze, dammit!" Mello said, slightly slurred. "Sweet dreams…in hell!" Site said as she threw the bottle at Mello. Thankfully, he somehow managed to catch it before it spilled any of it's contents. Site began laughing for no apparent reason. "The hell are you laughing at?" Mello asked. "Nothing," Site said through laughter.

Matt ended up quietly falling asleep on the couch, Mello passed out _somewhere_ in the apartment, with Site in one arm…that is, until she got up and left those losers for her big, comfy bed. They all slept pretty heavily that night.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own death note or anything associated with it

Disclaimer: I don't own death note or anything associated with it. Except Site. She's mine. Btw I am soooo sorry about my update that took forEVER!! Plz don't hurt me.

…Site forced her eyes open. And the minute she did, she was hit with a massive, banging pain in her head. "Ah!" she whisper-exclaimed. "Oh, dammit!" she groaned. Her first hangover had taught her an unpleasant lesson- never to drink wine again. Ever.

"Ow! Fuck!" was the next thing she heard as she lay on her side, almost consumed by her bed sheets and clutching her head. What the hell was that? Wait… Mello? She tried to ignore the pain in her head (with no success) and strained her hearing. Quiet at first, then a small exclamation of "Dammit!" and some sizzling. Oh no, was Mello screwing around in her kitchen? Site groaned as she got up.

When she reached the kitchen, Mello was blowing on blowing on the side of his hand and trying to pick up eggshells with the other. "The hell are you doing?!" Site asked. "What does it look like?" he responded. "like you're trying to pick up the remains of an egg that threw itself at your hand and committed suicide because you have no idea how to kill it yourself," she said, trying to sound sarcastic. "Oh screw off, I'm making food." "Do you have anyidea how to make eggs?" "Yes." "Then when was the last time you made them?" "Well, never, really, but-" "Oh, for God's sake…" Site said, walking over to the stove, cracking an egg, and letting it drop into the frying pan. Mello appeared to have nothing to say except "…Where's your aspirin?". Site sighed in near-frustration. "That's a good question." She looked in the cabinet where she kept her few medications hoping to God that there was something there for headaches. She let out a breath of relief when she saw something. She tore it open and popped two pills into her mouth. She grabbed a glass and filled it with water quicker than she ever thought she could have filled a glass. She chugged it and nearly choked in the process. Mello then grabbed the pill bottle, took two pills, stole the glass, and followed Site's example. "Damn, my head hurts…" Mello said. "Not to mention I have this throbbing pain in my jaw." Woops. Hopefully he didn't remember how he got that.

"Aspirin…" Matt said quietly from the other room. The other two turned their attention to his direction. "Someone get me some damn meds!" he shouted. Site flinched and threw the pill bottle around the corner of the wall that separated the kitchen from the central area of the apartment. She turned back around and heard an "Ow!". She turned back to see that the bottle had hit Matt somewhere within the facial area. She quickly turned back into the kitchen for the fear of being noticed. "Water, dammit!" Matt shouted blindly. "You get him water, I'll make your damn eggs." Site told Mello. "I con do it myself." "No you can't," she scoffed back. 'Bitch…' Mello thought as he got Matt something.

10 minutes later, a cell phone went off- Mello's (which he had been given for "Business reasons"). Apparently, he had to go down and take care of something. Matt didn't need to come along, so he stayed right where he was- on Site's couch, looking as if he was beat over the head with something and had collapsed there. "…Just don't take too long." Site said to Mello before he left. "Aww, are you worried about me? How cute." He commented. "Shut up! Do you wanna get punched again?". Mello gave her a confused look before he went out the door. 'oh crap… he better not remember that now…' she thought.

Site walked over to the couch Matt had himself so comfortable on. "It's just you and me, Matty." She said for no real reason. "Yeah?" he asked. "You want anything to eat?" Site asked, fairly unable to think of anything else to say. "No, I'll get something later," he said with a passive wave of his hand. "Do you know how to cook?" Site inquired, hoping to get the truth. "I think…probably…" he said, sounding too unsure for Site to want to continue. But she didn't want to just go off and do something, leaving Matt to fester on her couch. She had to talk to him… but what could she say? The only thing she could come up eith was the mafia…

"Hey Matt?" she asked. "Yeah?" "…What's it like being in the mafia?" she asked cautiously. "We hardly do anything," Matt started. "But that's supposedly because we just got in. but we did get some stuff…" he said, pulling a gun out of his vest. He couldn't hide a little smirk when he did… it was pretty cool to have a gun.

The moment he had held it far away enough from himself, Site grabbed it and held it in front of her mildly shocked face. _He had a gun! A loaded gun! Holy shit!_

"Jealous yet?" he asked calmly.

Half of her wanted to say 'Sweet! you lucky bastard!', but the other half wanted to scold 'Don't bring this thing into my apartment!', sos she said nothing. "Mello's got one, too." Matt mentioned as though he were talking about the weather. "Are you kidding?" she asked rather loudly. "We were a little intoxicated last night, I don't think this was the best idea." She said naggingly. Matt just shrugged. Site gave him the gun back. As he put it back into his vest, she thought of Mello…there was a fair conversation topic. Then she remembered something from the night before. Well, it was more like a brief memory of someone mentioning something. "Matt?" she asked once again. "Yeah?" "Are there women in the mafia?" Matt paused. "Yeah, but they just sit on people's laps an look pretty." Matt could only guess what she really wanted to know, and he thought that guess was pretty accurate. "Me and Mello haven't done anything with them. The other guys will ask and tease him about why he won't do anything but smirk at them or whatever…" Matt stopped himself, wondering if he had said too much or too little. Site just sat there quietly for a few seconds- was Matt telling the truth?

Matt was beginning to get a little worried, but Site spoke up before he could. "…Thanks." She said simply. Matt was relieved, but he still had a little bit of anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

"Ah, crap." Site said, slamming her hand into her forehead. "I still don't have any damn coffee." She remembered. Matt groaned. "That sounds good right about now." Site got up and walked towards the bathroom door. "Screw it." She said. "I want coffee and I want it now." "Then why are you going into the bathroom?" Matt asked, remaining on his couch. "I'm going out to get some, Janet can tell me where to go." She answered. "Janet?" Matt inquired. "Yeah, the receptionist." She answered. "What do you want?" "Surprise me," he said bluntly. "Sure.".

"If you want to eat something just raid the kitchen. Don't make a huge mess." Site said before going out the door a few minutes later.

It took a grand total of an hour and a half to ask Janet for directions, walk there, wait in line, order two large black coffees and one French vanilla, get the drinks, and walk back. A long time, yes; but when you had a hangover and a pressing need for coffee, you would have gone to great lengths to get what you wanted, particularly if you were as stubborn and determined as Site.

…Although she did have a nice surprise waiting for her when she got back.

She finally opened the door to her apartment, and found Mello in the kitchen, marveling over something currently invisible to her. He caught sight of her quickly and immediately went over to her. "You damn well look at this-" he said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the kitchen.

There, on the counter, was a chicken, carved and dressed, fully garnished with the appropriate vegetables, steaming and giving off an almost mouth-watering scent. Beside that was a fresh-looking ceasar salad, and beside _that_ was a chocolate cake, that (unlike the other items) appeared to be cooling, and not quite ready to eat.

"Who the hell did that?" was Site's immediate response. Mello pointed a finger at Matt, who was sitting in a random dining chair. "…What?" he asked when he noticed the other two staring at him. He also noticed the coffee Site had in one hand, which was half-hidden behind Mello. He cocked his head to the side to get a better view. "You have coffee?" he asked almost excitedly. "Yeah, but… but what the hell, how'd you do that?" Site asked in disbelief. "There were a bunch of instructions on the packages… I don't know," he said slowly. "How'd you learn to cook?" Site asked. "That's a-friggin'-mazing!" "I don't know," he said, shrugging.

There was a bit of stunned silence before Matt spoke again. "Can we eat it yet? I'm hungry.".


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Me + Death Note NO OWNAGE, PWNAGE, OR ANY –WNAGE OF ANY SORT

Disclaimer: Me + Death Note NO OWNAGE, PWNAGE, OR ANY –WNAGE OF ANY SORT.

And SORRY for lack of updates! 

The next few days proceeded accordingly- and continued to proceed accordingly as the days turned into weeks. Site was often alone in her apartment, with the occasional visit from Mello and Matt. And of course, now that she was in a romantic relationship with Mello, that put a bit of a strain on their relationship. Site tried to get used to his absence… with little success. Though some days she would get by and feel okay on her own, every night became tedious and trying to sleep became a saddening affair. Although she'd never admit it, she missed Mello every single night- the apartment seemed a little empty without him, and she would lie in bed, wishing and praying Mello would come, by some incredible chance. She was _longing_ for it.

Even at times when he did visit, Matt was always with him. Of course, Site didn't have a huge problem with Matt… he was her best friend, after all. But she and Mello never _really_ had any alone time. Come to think of it, they hadn't exactly acted like a blissfully happy couple. Was it because ethey had no alone time and didn't see each other that often?

That's why both Site and Mello were happy, but nervous the first time they were alone together.

Site was casually bored another evening alone in her apartment… before she heard a knock on her door. She got up and walked over, only a little quicker than usual. She knew it was them, those two were the only ones who ever came to visit her.

Needless to say, she was mildly surprised when she opened the door. She saw Mello there alone, leaning more on his right side than his left, with his hands in his pockets. He looked up to see her look of slight surprise. "…Where's Matt?" she asked, gazing around the corridor that was empty in exception to Mello. "Uh, he's… off, doing mob work." He replied, coming up with a believable excuse. The truth was, Matt had thought Mello and Site should have some alone time, and he let Mello go alone instead of visiting her again after a few days. There was an odd particle of guilt in Mello's mind, but he attempted to ignore it.

"Hm…" Site plainly responded. Realizing that he probably wanted in, she stepped aside. He walked in and kicked off his shoes. They looked at each other for a minute before sharing a kiss. Afterwards, things were odd… they had never _really_ been alone together before, and they didn't know hw to act. Things would be simpler with Matt there, but if they couldn't be alone together, where would they end up? How would this work?

"What do you wanna do?" Site asked awkwardly. "There's not much to do around here…" There was no need to be polite and ask if he wanted something to eat or drink.. he knew by now that he could raid the frisge or anywhere in the kitchen any time he wanted.

"I dunno…" He replied half-ignorantly, trying to conceal his awkwardness. After an awkward silence, Site wondered why she was still standing at the door. For her, there wa nothing better left to do than go to the couch. And she did. Once she sat down, Mello only saw it fit to go sit by her. They _were_ a couple, and there wasn't much of a reason to stand at the door.

Mello walked over to the couch and sat down beside Site, on her left side. This was somehow even _more_ awkward. She didn't look up, but he put his hand on hers. She outstretched her hand, allowing his and her fingers to interlace, thus having them hold hands. Almost as she thought of doing it herself, he squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back. It's funny how much you almost obsessively think about little things when you were in such a situation. Mello than cautiously put his arm around her shoulders, Site metally processed this and tilted herself as to lean on his chest.

…It felt good.

Mello was somewhat comforted by Site's actions, and he put his arm further around her, bringing her closer. This made Site happy for some odd reason. She couldn't resist the urge to subconsciously snuggle her head into his chest. In turn, this gave Mello a feeling of happiness. Soon, he began to think-

How odd it was- how just sitting here, with Site in his arm, her hand in his, her leaning on him, made him so happy. Maybe it was just because they had never had a quiet moment alone together before… even after they got together, they had still acted like best friends with a crush on each other, just now with a little more… (what was the word he was looking for? Contact? Closeness?)… romance. They had never really acted like a real couple.. they never went on dates, they never really did any couple-esque activities, they had never even spent time alone together, for God's sake. And it occurred to him like a slap upside the head- they _should_. He cared about her.. _a lot_. More than he cared about anything, in exception to Matt. But the way he cared about Site was different than the way he cared about Matt. Yes, he did care about Matt, but Site…_oh, Site…_ maybe he… no, the idea of loving her was so… _weird_. Love was an amazing, joyous, incredible feelingthat conquered all… this couldn't be it… but it was so… great. Now that he thought about it, with every passing minute, every passing _second_, he cared about her more and more. And it was driving him mad. If he didn't do something, he felt like he would go insane-

As Site was leaning on Mello, she couldn't deny how good it felt to be in his arms (well, in his one arm). It felt so great to be so close to him… she could even hear his muffled heartbeat. He and Matt were her best and only friends… but the way she felt about Mello was so different than the way she felt about Matt. Of course she cared about Matt… she would do almost anything for that guy. But with Mello, she wanted to spend all the time she could with him. When he was gone, she missed him. She missed his touch, his hands, his arms, his face, his lips…and at night she was haunted by thoughts of what her parents would think of him, what it felt like before thay were together, how much she missed him, why she didn't cherish every moment they spent together… she cared about him so much. It was almost unbearable some nights…and it was becoming unbearable now. Almost every night and many a day, she had hoped he would come, and this is what she was waiting for- why wasn't she doing anything? She had missed his hugs, his kisses, when he held her… this wasn't enough right now. She _needed_ him closer, and she was going to go crazy if she didn't-

And simultaneously, both Site and Mello grabbed each other and put both arms around one another. They held each other close, only tightening their grip when they realized that the had gone for this at the same time.

"I…" Site began to say, but was at a lack of words. "I know." Mello said before Site could think of something.

They stayed like that for a while. Then Site said something (well, _tried_ to say something). She was having such a hard time, considering her stubborn nature… she wasn't _supposed_ to care about someone this much anymore. "…Jesus Christ, I can't even…" she was trying, she really was. "What, am I really so amazing, you can't speak?" Mello asked sarcastically, taking advantage of Site's lack of the ability to communicate. She couldn't help but smirk, this _was_ the Mello she fell for. "No," she began. "I'm just trying to say how much I care about you, you cocky bastard." Now it was Mello's turn to show an oddly happy half-smile. "I care about you, too, you moody bitch." "Hey! You shut up!" she said, raising her voice. "Make me!" he replied childishly. "Fine, I will!" Without further warning, Site quickly raised her head and kissed him. The suddenness of it shocked him a little, but he fell into the kiss.

So Site and Mello didn't act like a regular couple. Perhaps it was because they _weren't_ a regular couple. But they never really had to be- what they had was different from what your run-of-the-mill couple had.

…And truthfully, neither of them would have it any other way.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or anything associated with it except Site… and this story.

Btw, I am VERY sorry about some parts of this story that are wrong (for example, I shortened the amount of time between when M/M/S move to Los Angeles). I'm figuring out that these are wrong too late, but unfortunately I have to keep some of them in the story to maintain how it goes. But YES, if there is a factual wrongity, I probably know it, but had to keep it in due to story purposes. Thank You ^-^

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A couple months had passed, and everything had seemed to be working out well- Site got regular visits from Mello and Matt, as well as occasional visits from just Mello. The men's work in the mafia seemed to be progressing, and so was Mello and Site's relationship. They were coping with being apart more often, spending time alone and spending time with Matt. And their feelings for each other were only growing stronger.

Today, Site was awaiting a visit from Mello- _just_ Mello. And as she was expecting him around 5:00, she had everything she needed to make dinner- she thought that if Mello watched or even helped a little (quite a miraculous task), he might just learn a little about how to make things that require more than some time in a microwave.

And while Site was awaiting him, Mello was walking down the street that lead to Site's apartment building… with something on his mind. It was something he had to tell Site about- something she could even play a role in. half of him wanted her to come with him… for any spare time they had, it could be like a vacation…a _romantic_ vacation. But the other half of him didn't want her to get hurt, and didn't want her to be put in any danger. He did care about her, a lot. And the last he would want is for her to get hurt or harmed in any way. But what if she wanted to go? Hell, she came to Los Angeles, didn't she? Ad that was permanent.

He was nearing the building now. 'Well, I'm only gonna have to tell her sooner or later,' he thought. 'No point in worrying about it, it'll only make me want to procrastinate'.

Back to Site, waiting around in her apartment. There really wasn't much to do there…watch TV, rent a movie, read something, cook something… it was hard for her not to be bored living by herself. And until she heard that knock on her door, she was slipping into boredom at a fast rate.

Site quickly walked over to the door and opened it. She immediately hugged Mello without hesitation. Mello looked down at her and cautiously put his arms loosely around her- this was strangely affectionate of her.

Once she let go, he gave her a questioning look. "...What?" she asked in an almost defensive tone. "Nothing…that was just weird of you." Mello replied as he casually entered the apartment. "Why?" she inquired, hiding that she was starting to realize that it _was_ kind of odd for her.

Mello gave a constricted shrug and took a few steps further. "You seem tense." She said passively as she came up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I don't know…"

"What is it?" Site asked, knowing it had to be something important. Mello wasn't sure how to respond- he couldn't very well say "Nothing," because it wasn't nothing. And he probably was going to tell her eventually tonight, so it most likely would be convenient to say it now. _But did he have to? Right now? _It wouldn't be the way he'd want to start off the night, but… dammit, he had to…what else was there to do?

"..What?" she asked again, trying to get it out of him but still remain comforting.

"…Me and Matt have to go to Japan."

Mello spoke quickly and quietly. Site _reacted_ slowly and loudly.

"...WHAT?!?" she almost yelled after a pause that Mello knew was the silence before the storm. "We've gotta go, it's for stuff on Kira and-"

"On the Kira case? God, you're already in enough fucking danger, you don't need to go risking your life even more! You could already die at any time, you don't need to do this!" Site interrupted.

"Yes I do! It's the only way I can get what I need to to solve this damn case!"

"You've been doing well enough from here, what makes Japan a better place?"

"It's closer and has more access to information!"

"God, don't go telling me you have to move again with Matt! I couldn't keep up with it, I don't want to have to follow you wherever you both go!"

"Then don't follow us!"

"What, you think I can live all by myself while you two are on the other side of the world?!?"

"It doesn't matter, it's not permanent and we're not moving there!"

"Well you could have told me that before instead of telling me that I didn't have to follow my two best friends around!"

"I didn't tell you that!"

"Yes you did! Yu know that you and Matt are my life, I don't really have anything without you!"

"Then why don't you find something else?!? What if you didn't have us, huh?!?"

"I don't even want to think about losing Matt and I can't even think about losing you! Do you have any idea how much you two mean to me?!?"

"Do you have any idea how much this investigation means to _me_?!?"

There was a pause before site could respond. "…Are you saying it means more to you than I do?"

"NO! how could you even _think_ that?!?"

"Then what the hell are you implying?"

"I'm implying that I have to do this and it's not the end of the fucking world!"

"then if you have to do it so much, I'm going with you!" Site stated firmly.

"No!" Mello shouted. "We aren't going to be there permanently and you could get hurt!"

"So could you!"

"that's the last thing I want, for you to get hurt!" Mello said, turning his back to her and taking a few steps, putting him at some distance from her.

"I don't want you getting hurt, either! In fact, you know what? I should go!"

"Why?!?"

"Because I don't want to go for God knows how long without you-"

"God, you're so stubborn!"

"-And because I'd rather have me get hurt than you."

That was the very last thing he would ever want, and she was so willing to do it… he'd never want her getting hurt, or worse…

"Because I would rather be put in harm's way to protect you-"

"Why?!?"

"-Or take the pain and cover for you!"

"Why, God damn it?!?"

"Because I Love You, you dumb fuck!"

Mello turned and looked at her. Did she just say… she _loved_ him?

"…I Love You." She said again, looking at Mello, looking into his eyes.

Suddenly, it was as if all Mello could see were her eyes… and what they were saying to him…it was true…

Before he could realize it, he had nearly ran over to her and had his arms tightly around her in a second.

"I Love You Too."


End file.
